CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — In the countdown to the Aug. 5 elections, Camden County Prosecutor Brian Keedy has come under attack on multiple fronts.
In the traditional pre-election array of ads and mailings, Camden residents have received several in recent days that take aim at Keedy, regarding a case in which a former police officer pleaded guilty to sexual acts with a minor and in which the prosecutor, according to one flyer, “gave the defendant… a softball plea offer that involved no jail time.”
Such mailers have been sent out by a political action committee named Voters for Good Government—based in St. Charles, Mo.—and Citizens for Bradbury—representing Cole Bradbury, one of Keedy’s opponents in the current race.
The above mailer is one of several ads paid for by Voters for good Government which criticizes Camden County Prosecutor Brian Keedy for his handling of a case in which a former police officer pleaded guilty to sexual acts with a minor.
In response, Keedy has pointed to his experiences prosecuting sex crimes against children, highlighting the trauma such an ordeal presents to the victim(s) and citing the “child-first doctrine.”
“Unless and until one has had to answer the question, ‘Why didn’t they believe me?’ asked by a 14 year boy after a jury acquitted the man he said repeatedly molested him; Unless and until one has had the experience of meeting with a frantic parent whose daughter started cutting herself days before she was to testify; Unless and until one has had the experience of receiving news that a teen-aged child victim has run away to avoid having to face the person who molested them… Then, and only then, does one have any business offering an opinion about what should have been done in a specific case,” Keedy argued.
For his part, Bradbury stands by his criticism of Keedy, saying his message about the incumbent has been consistent throughout the campaign. “I have been very open about my disagreements with Mr. Keedy,” he told LakeExpo.com.
Bradbury added, “I don't think it's an ‘attack’ to criticize the job performance of the person who currently holds the job. If voters believe Mr. Keedy was right to give probation to an admitted child molester, then they won't think a description of that case is negative at all.”
Bradbury says he was unfamiliar with Voters for Good Government until he saw the organization’s recent ads attacking Keedy. But, he noted, “I do agree with the criticism that group has made of Mr. Keedy in its newspaper ad.”
Another local attorney running for Camden County Prosecutor, Michael Gilley, has responded to the ads quite differently. He was taken aback by what residents found in their mailboxes, and says he received calls from people asking whether he was responsible for them.
On his Facebook page, Gilley blasted the ads, saying, “I have had no part in these outlandish tactics.”
He also criticized Voters for Good Government: “Apparently, their idea of ‘good government’ is to lack the courage to put your name on what you want to say and to hide behind front groups with ambiguous names,” Gilley wrote.
He concluded, “I believe such negative tactics should be denounced publicly.”
Whether voters find the ads to be effective or onerous may be revealed at the ballot box on Tuesday.
